We’ve been passively house hunting for a few weeks now (driving around different neighborhoods, checking out pics on MLS, and popping into a few of them every now and then) and are finally getting around to writing about it. It’s amazing how frantically cleaning your own house and scheduling showings can distract you from actually blogging about the thrill of the hunt for a new place.
Part of our delay has also been deciding the best way to share this house hunting journey with you guys. We’d love to show every nook and cranny of each place, but at the same time we want to respect the privacy of each home’s seller (after all, unlike HGTV’s House Hunters these folks haven’t signed up to have their homes pluses and minuses publicly dissected for all to see).
So after much debate we decided to only share a (slightly doctored) exterior photo along with a description of the house’s pros and cons with thoughts on whether it’s a good fit for us. With that said, let’s start with the place we started calling “The Cottage In The Woods” that we recently toured. We found this one driving around getting lost in a nearby neighborhood and got crazy excited about it before knowing anything about it. Almost “we don’t even need to see in inside” excited. It really was that charming from the outside.
THE STATS:
- Age: 1953
- House size: 1,905 square feet
- Lot size: 1.4 acres of land
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 2
THE PROS:
- Old, modest and in need of some TLC
- Amazingly private lot that’s bursting with charm (you drive about 150 feet through the woods before you even see the house)
- Great neighborhood and schools
- Nice open living and dining room
THE CONS:
- No en-suite bathroom
- Cramped kitchen (about half the size of our current one) with no room to expand
- 2 bedrooms on the main floor, one in the basement
- Low ceiling in basement (like I-had-to-duck low)
So despite having been won over by the exterior, the interior left lots to be desired for our open-and-airy loving hearts (and our I-don’t-like-to-touch-basement-ceilings heads). We’re all about taking a small compartmentalized house and blowing out some walls, but this specific layout didn’t seem very conducive to those kinds of changes as all. And the fact that one of the bedrooms was in the low-ceilinged basement complete with a dehumidifier (while we’d prefer to keep all the bedrooms close together and above grade so we can be near Clara and future kiddo(s) in their earlier years of life) left us feeling like this house would be “settling.” Thus our dream of living in this secluded little cottage in the woods came crumbling down. Oh well, on to the next one!
Altered exterior photo taken by us and edited thanks to our friend Photoshop.
Psst- Don’t forget about our big nerve-wracking appearance on The Nate Show this coming Monday the 25th (more details here). Fingers crossed that we don’t look like big starstruck geeks.
Miranda says
You guys should be on House Hunters! That would be awesome. :)
Wendy says
I am really disappointed that you won’t be sharing more about the houses you’ve toured. One of my favorite things ever was house hunting for my first home so I was hoping to live (virtually) vicariously through you. I completely understand your reasoning but deep down hope you’ll decide to share just a tiny more… maybe just a fewwwww pictures?? ;)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Wendy,
Thanks for your feedback! We thought long and hard about how to share our house hunting adventures (and of course we expected that we’d receive requests for more photos even after explaining our decision). But this method is definitely what we’ve decided to stick with because it feels best to us. Plus it allows us more time to keep hunting for the perfect house (instead of spending those precious moments hunting down permission to share homes that we’ve decided aren’t even right for us in the end). We hope you understand!
xo,
s
bindc says
Ooh. Super fun. I love viewing houses in general so this is a fun virtual way without having to leave my house. :)
Liz says
I LOVE our current house (after some renovations), but one huge drawback for me is that two bedrooms are upstairs and one is downstairs. It’s fine for now, with only one child, but I can’t imagine banishing a 3 year old to the small downstairs room once we have another baby, so I guess they’ll be sharing!
Melissa G. says
@Natalie
Sometimes I just do a google search for realtors in the area I’m looking at. Sometimes they have listings with more pictures than on realtor.com.
YoungHouseLove says
We also like using sites like zillow.com and even craigslist!
xo,
s
Julie at www.downtimeweblog.com says
Sounds lovely! However I think the tiny kitchen with no room for expansion and the lack of a master bath might be deal-breakers for me.
kita says
i will miss your home. :(
LauraC says
@Liz,
We have the same setup in our home; two bedrooms upstairs and one bedroom downstairs. We have a three-year old daughter and a six-month old son, and they share the room upstairs, which is just across the hall from us. It’s a pretty large room, so when we bought the place (we only had our daughter) we knew our kids could share for awhile. Who knows what we’ll do if we have a third! Don’t know the size of your bedrooms, but it does work for us, and we do love all being upstairs as a family. Just a thought!
Wendy says
P.S. I was watching The Nate Berkus Show and they showed a clip for Monday’s show! I saw Mrs. Limestone but didn’t see y’all :(
Sarah says
Hey Sherry and John!
Good Luck with the hunt. Have to share with you that zillow is often so wrong with their listings. My house that I currently own, and reside in was listed on their a few months ago as if it was for sale!!! It took an enormous amount of investigating and nagging emails to get the fake listing taken down. Throughout the process I heard several people who had experienced the same thing! You’re smart, and will do just fine on your own, but if I were you I wouldn’t put too much into any listing you read about on zillow.
Take Care and Have a Blast!
Sarah
YoungHouseLove says
Wow that’s crazy! Thanks for the tip!
xo,
s
Kai says
What the heck are those people looking at in the House Hunters picture? It really cracked me up.
YoungHouseLove says
Seriously! We wondered the same thing!
xo,
s
Olives and Daisies says
We bought a major fixer upper that had a really small master bed and bath, we took down a wall and make the master bedroom twice the size totally remodeled the bathroom and made it bigger getting rid of a wall between the bath and closet…it was a huge project!!! And now I love it, but I would have to agree that a basement room and small kitchen would be a deal breaker!!
heather j. says
So excited for you guys…and glad that you’re thinking Bon Air :)
Saw a cute house on Bon View Drive (and no, it’s not mine…) :)
tylyn says
wwwoooaa, to me the ‘cons’ are pretty Con-ey i dont know if i’d be able to get past the cramped kitchen, short basement.. im actually pretty shocked your considering! im sure it cozy though! and im sure you two can make it work if you wanted to :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Tylyn,
Nope, we’re not still considering it, we actually eliminated it (see the last paragraph) but we’re just sharing what we’re seeing as we go (good and bad)!
xo,
s
mp says
Hey, how do y’all get Nate’s show? No one in the Richmond market has it, and those are my stations on satellite. Will he give you a DVD to bring home and maybe you can post it for those of us starved of Nate?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey MP,
We don’t get it either! But we are trying to upload a few clips to the blog (since a family member in NYC is taping it and trying to convert it for us to share online). Fingers crossed it works…
xo,
s
Julie says
When we were looking this summer any house that had the master on a different level than the other bedrooms was out. Maybe when our kids are older, but for now I’d hate that!
Jess says
i was so sad when i heard you guys were selling your house… i just love everything you’ve done to it so much! but now i’m super-into hearing about your house-hunting adventures and the pros and cons of each place! :)
i’m curious… would you guys consider a REALLY old house? i know you’re looking for an older home, and you’ve mentioned the 1950’s/60’s as the youngest you’d take… what about an old 1800’s farmhouse, a greek revival, etc.? any interest in something like that? or is mid-1900’s more your style?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jess,
Oh yes! We love love love super old homes as well, there just aren’t many in this area (many of them are much further out from the city or inside the city limits (but the schools there keep us from considering them since that’s super high on our priority list too). Who knows what we’ll find though! We’ll keep you posted.
xo,
s
Ekk1977 says
Hey guys, playing catch-up on my blog reading, but I went to check out your listing and it’s listed as inactive. Did you decide to list with a realtor after all? Best of luck! Emily
YoungHouseLove says
We just didn’t renew it on that site (it was $80 after a free trial for two weeks so we’ve been marketing it in other ways where we get more bang for our buck). We’re definitely still doing the For Sale By Owner thing for now- and we’ll keep you posted as to what works when we (fingers crossed) have an offer in our hot little hands!
xo,
s
Janice says
Did you ever really considered doing House Hunters? It’s always been one of my favorite HGTV shows.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Janice,
They don’t film in this area so it’s not a possibility, but it’s honestly not something we’d feel super confident doing anyway (we’re a lot more comfortable behind the safety of our computers, haha). But it sure is fun to watch other people do it and yell at the screen when they pick the wrong house!
xo,
s
Ishka says
I love your blog more than I love cupcakes (and that’s a lot!) but I miss the regular posts. I know it’s a pain in the butt for you guys but I’d love to see you move back to regular posts after the craziness of house hunting and moving has settled down.
I (along with the other gazillion readers following you) still check your blog either way but I miss the regular updates!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Ishka,
Check out this post which explains why we’re moving away from those super regimented twice-a-day posts and embracing a looser and more spur of the moment schedule. We just really felt like blogging was becoming more of a business transaction than a spontaneous and fun passion (like it was in the earlier days) and we’ve never had more fun than we’re having now, just posting in real time and sharing everything that’s going on at home- from pumpkins and silhouettes to house hunting and getting ready for showings! We’ve also been posting extra posts from time to time, so although we only shared one post today, there were three posts on Monday and even one on Saturday! We’re crazy like that.
xo,
s
Kari S. says
Good Luck! Selling and house hunting is hard with a baby! We had to put alot of things into storage and we ended up looking at 80 houses before we found one.
karen says
I don’t know guys…the cons seem a bit to important to look past.
Even with all that character and amazing setting…those are some big things to think about.
Can’t believe your going to be on NATE!! You made it big time!!! Yahoooo!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Karen,
Yup, as we said at the bottom of the post, we’re over it and on to the next one! We just like keeping you guys posted along the way and sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly as we go!
xo,
s
Jenny says
Aww, too bad the inside didn’t work, cause the outside sure looks cute!
KOS! (Keep On S'myelin!) says
Definitely don’t settle. You’ll know it when you see it…a “This is it!” moment. Kind of like finding the perfect wedding dress or Oprah’s Aha! moments.
Happy house hunting!
Sharon says
House hunting, yuck. I would love to learn to take photos like a real estate agent though!
Claire K Creations says
Will The Nate Show clip be on the net? It wont be on down here in Australia I don’t think and I don’t want to miss it!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re hoping to upload a clip or two if we can figure it out! Fingers crossed.
xo,
s
Courtney says
Hey Sherry and John! I wanted to wish you guys luck in your search for a new home. I think we are all exctied to see all of the new ideas that you guys come up with =)
Also, I wanted to tell you about another website that you could use to search for a new home. ( @ Natalie, this if for you too…) I know you guys have a sort of perimeter set up that you would like to stay within, well if you go to HotPads.com, it pulls up your search results on a MAP! So, it shows you exactly where your next potential home is located. I love that site. =) Hope it helps you in your search!!
<3 Courtney
Courtney says
One more comment… I have been looking at homes in the Richmond area on the above mentioned website, HotPads.com and I just have a question. Does EVERY home in Richmond, VA have wood panneling walls?! It’s driving me crazy just looking at it! lol
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, most likely yes.
xo,
s
lea says
Hey YHL, like the poster above said, watch out for zillow. they are a 3rd party poster, meaning they grab info from other sites and then give judgements and valuations that are not accurate. For instance, your current house would be “valued” based on a circle drawn around your area, not counting any of your updates, renos, etc. Its strictly a what’s nearby with no thought to updates, etc. People will then try to make offers on your house based on zillow valutation. Spring for a real certified appraiser to do a current appraisal on your house, then lay it out on the table for potential buyers to see. Am loving your new posts; it feels like old times!!
Shauna says
There’s no way you guys could settle with a house as beautiful as the one you’re living in now! :)
Misty says
In response to someone else asking what they were looking at…
I bet it’s that amazing crown molding! Do you see how lusciously thick that is? Completely drool-worthy.
Misty says
Also, can you give us just a little nibble hint on what your holiday tree colors will be this year? Pretty please?
YoungHouseLove says
Christmas is still up in the air for us because we’re not sure if we’ll be in a new house or in the middle of a move so it might be a surprise to everyone- including us! We definitely plan to decorate and celebrate wherever we are though. Stay tuned…
xo,
s
Becky says
I’m so excited that I discovered your blog. My husband and I just bought a house and I may have stolen about a million of your ideas so far. I’ll be watching you guys on Monday. I just adore his new show!
Amanda@Longroadset says
Hey guys,
So we went on a house tour yesterday. it was a nice looking house, but it was missing everything. Nothing like being nickel and dimed to death having to replace every door knob, floor, and light fixture before you can move in. They even took the skylight.
HAHA.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow, that’s crazy! We saw a house on TV that was getting flipped and the previous owners took the pavers for the patio with them when they left. So funny.
xo,
s
a. says
i just recently found out about your blog.
why do you actually want to move? is it the size? a new project?
greetings from germany!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey A,
We explained it a few times in past posts but it’s basically a trifecta: it’s better for our family (we’d like a bit more room to grow), we’re dying for a new project (apparently we’re no good at sitting around), and it’s good for our business too (since we love keeping you guys posted about our latest projects and our current house feels pretty “done” these days). It’s win-win-win!
xo,
s
Tara says
I used to work in Real Estate and I can’t tell you how many times I saw a house that was fantastic on the outside but no so much on the inside. You really can’t judge a book by its cover with houses.
sara says
looks cozy and a great size! Whatever house you end up in I can’t wait to see it transform with your amazing style!
Alisa says
We had the opposite issue with our house- it was so ugly on the outside that I refused to look at it for a couple of months. Once we went inside I knew this was the house for us. It needed (and still needs) a lot of TLC outside, but we think we’ve figured out a way to get it looking as nice as all the other houses on the street. It’s painted the same exact grey as the shingles and has no landscaping so we definitely have our work cut out for us though!
pink bridesmaid dresses says
Love the little nestled cozy look of the home. Makes me think “there’s no place like home.” That is a place to call home.
Samantha @ Mama Notes says
Hmm the downsides sound like HUGE downsides to me!!
Sam says
Hi Guys,
1) We love your blog
2) Just a thought – have you guys considered buying land and building a house. It would be quite the adventure to blog about!, and I think is probably a lot more do-able than you would imagine financially.
Thanks xx
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sam,
We considered it but decided that we just love working with what we have and coming up with creative solutions to fix an already-existing home than starting from scratch. There’s nothing like taking something that’s past its prime and bringing it back from the dead!
xo,
s
Allison says
Hey Guys! Sorry this is so random but what are your favourite design books? Or books that you have out around the house on coffee tables and what not? I’m starting my Christmas list for the hubby and need some ideas!! Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s a post that will hopefully come in handy for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2009/03/lucky-seven/
xo,
s (& j)
carley says
You know, it’s funny, when we first started house hunting after living in a townhouse, we thought we’d be okay without a powder room in a 2-story or a master bath. There were things we said we’d be okay living without. Now that we’ve been in our house for 4 months, we realize that though a master bathroom or powder room may seem like an extra, we just love having them so much! Especially, with a 1 year old, it comes in handy!
I think after living in one home, you realize things that really will work better for your family. That first home really helps you decide what will work best in the next!
Good luck! My hubby and I were just commenting about how we miss house hunting…yet a few months ago we were kind of sick of it..ha!
susan says
I’m thinking black mold is lurking somewhere in that basement!!! Good luck with the “Hunt”.
Ashley @ sunnysideshlee.com says
Hey guys,
A few things, with all that land, could you build an addition for a master bathroom/kitchen? You said there was no room to expand the kitchen but I’m wondering if you could start that from scratch and build something on the back of the house? Also, basement-wise I think it depends on how much “living space” you’re considering. If you can’t use the space effectively (Mr. Tall John) then it wouldn’t really be comfortable for you to consider living space. Your previous basement didn’t have access from inside the house … is this the same deal?
I’m excited to see what you both finally pick!
-Ashley :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Ashley,
Thanks for the ideas! The house is actually built on a huge hill (the back of the house is nearly two stories high) so building off the back of it would be nearly impossible since it’s not on flat solid ground. We definitely consider about those options when checking out houses though! We’re sure we’ll find the perfect casa one of these days. Fingers crossed…
xo,
s
DogsMom says
Totally unplanned, I came to visit your blog this morning and Now, right this second, you are on the Nate show on the tv behind me. so I will have to comment here later.
You both look very cute on tv and I could see you being on my tv regularly.
Wendy says
I don’t know if people realize that House Hunters is staged. Episodes are filmed after the house is bought but before the people move in. The other two properties are just for show. You may notice that if one of the properties has no furniture in it then that is the one that is chosen usually. They film that episode after the old owners have moved out and before the new owners move in. Also some of the international episodes are completely faked. One of the Puerto Rican episodes had tourists looking at three homes that were all ready furnished. The tourists never even bought one of the homes.
Carly says
I got to this blog from another fun designy blog and was instantly smitten, and then looked back a few posts and saw the high school pictures…sherry you definitely went to my school! i think you were a year older than me. good to see a phhs kid do so well!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! That’s so funny. It’s such a small world. Glad you found our blog!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Hi guys! I had a quick question – I know you’re looking for an older house in need of some love, from the 50s or 60s. I’ve always wanted to do the same, or even find an older charming farmhouse to fix up. But my husband’s worry (admittedly mine as well) is the electrical and plumbling – they’re ndo doubt always going to have older wiring and cramped pipes, unless it was redone. So we worry about running that risk of something going wrong behind the walls that we have no knowledge of, and having to pay big bucks to fix it. It makes me want a newer home for that reason, but then I don’t like the idea of paying for other brand new features in a home that I could fix up and do myself to an older one. So that’s my quandary, and I was wondering what you guys think when it comes to all that behind-the-wall stuff.
PS – You’ve probably already seen this, but in case you havne’t – I forgot to DVR the Nate show, so I looked for your clip online, and I found you guys here (http://www.thenateshow.com/videos) in the Simple Crafts link. (Loved the burlap, and the twine/mason jars!)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
When we got this house we knew it was old but were so charmed by it that we wanted it even with the knowledge that it might not have the newest plumbing or electrical. It was very very very affordable, so I guess we believed that we could update anything that we needed to with the money we saved on an older home instead of buying a new one. Four and a half years later we haven’t had one issue with either of those systems (and we’ve opened nearly every wall and done tons of kitchen and bathroom renovating) so I guess we have gained confidence that older homes were made well and if there’s going to be an issue with a house, it could just as well be with a brand new one (at least an older home has worked for decades so it stands to reason that it’s solidly built). Of course there’s always the risk of having to update or maintain something, but we love old homes (and their prices) so much that they’re worth it to us!
xo,
s
Emily says
My friend just shared your blog with me and I’m so glad she did. My husband and I are not DIYers- rather clumsy and clueless- but you’re inspiring! We are underwater in our mortgage but have also outgrown out 2 bedroom townhome (hello, baby #2!). While we love our home we are beginning to think about moving. We went to an open house recently and totally fell in love with the place that we saw. We absolutely cannot afford to move and I wonder- do you think it’s detrimental to get a feel for what’s out there? And by detrimental I mean “heartbreaking.” The house we visited went under contract a day or so after we saw it. Neither my husband or I could stop thinking about how wonderful it was. At the same time, seeing other places has got us talking about what our next home should and should not have. What’s your mindset when you are house hunting?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Emily,
We’ve been slipping through open houses for the last few years (we just love seeing the inside of homes for fun, even when we’re not at all in the market for a new one). That being said, it might be depressing to actively check out homes if you know that you can’t buy anything now- especially since you found yourself feeling heartbroken at the loss of that house you recently saw. Maybe trying to spend time making your current home your haven-for-now and a place that you love coming home to (without breaking the bank) while you save your pennies for a new house would be a better way to spend your time so it’s not as sad?
xo,
s